Greg Cordeiro is our kind of shoe nerd. And the dude has been around.After getting his start as an intern at Puma before shifting over to design work for Timberland, Cole Haan, Teva, and Ralph Lauren, Greg backed away from the mega-brand to co-found one of the seminal underground (now sadly defunct) footwear brands of the aughts: New England Outwear Company.After that he plunged back into a behemoth with a senior design gig at the behemoth that is Clark's, and then Huckberry, before spending the last three years regaining total freedom with his design pen and building out his own factory in the US handsewn capital of Lewiston, Maine to create EasyMoc,  a rising brand that combines time-honored handsewn moccasin construction techniques with creativity, a periodic dash of Japanese fashion, and a deep dedication to comfort. So what's it like to work at a gigantic shoe brand vs your own small workshop? How much of a revival is the once-massive Maine shoemaking industry really seeing? We cover all of that and more, including the deepest, most detailed dive into footwear design we've ever had the pleasure of exploring on this Shoecast.Warning! This one's a full nerd-out. And we're damn happy about it. This episode was oh so thoughtfully sponsored by Grant Stone Theme song: The Road by Punk Rock OperaSupport the Shoecast, get full bonus episode access, and join the most interesting shoe-and-boot-loving community on the internet with a Stitchdown Premium membershiphttps://www.stitchdown.com/join-stitchdown-premium/Check out our site!https://www.stitchdown.com/2025 dates and location for Stitchdown's Boot Camp 3—the world's fair of shoes and boots and leather and more—coming soon.https://www.stitchdownbootcamp.com/

After being trained in the shoemaking arts by some of the all-time greats—including Italian master Roberto Ugolini and US shoemaking gravitational center Marcell Mrsan—Francis Waplinger found himself making shoes in a barn. Nobody said bespoke shoemaking was supposed to be easy.Juggling multiple jobs on the east end of Long Island while sharing that barn workspace with his artist wife, Francis persisted: honing his craft, creating a range of samples, and eventually landing that crucial first bespoke order. About half a decade later, Francis has settled into a Brooklyn studio to cater to a growing list of clients for his uniquely styled, Americana nostalgia-/art deco-inspired bespoke dress shoes (and, he promises, more boots soon!).So what's it like to be a bespoke shoemaker? From the training, to the craft and toil, to figuring out how to manage the business side of a single-person operation? Francis is here to let it rip on all of that and more. Support the Shoecast, get full bonus episode access, and join the most interesting shoe-and-boot-loving community on the internet with a Stitchdown Premium membershiphttps://www.stitchdown.com/join-stitchdown-premium/Check out our site!https://www.stitchdown.com/2025 dates and location for Stitchdown's Boot Camp 3—the world's fair of shoes and boots and leather and more—coming soon.https://www.stitchdownbootcamp.com/

Occasionally we discuss boots on this podcast, but that doesn't mean we don't love and appreciate a great dress shoe as well.  In the FINAL episode of Season 6, Ben grills Ticho—the actual dress shoe-knowing person on this podcast—about what elements add up into the perfect dress shoe, important styles to understand, and recommendations for brands both iconic and under the radar in basically every price category. Why did we wear suits and dress shoes to tape a podcast hat nobody can see, in our basements? That's unclear. But man did it feel good.   This episode was sponsored by Standard & Strange, because nobody should wear dress shoes every dayJoin the Stitchdown Discord today, unless you hate shoes of courseTheme song: The Road by Punk Rock OperaSupport the Shoecast, get full bonus episode access, and join the most interesting shoe-and-boot-loving community on the internet with a Stitchdown Premium membershiphttps://www.stitchdown.com/join-stitchdown-premium/Check out our site!https://www.stitchdown.com/2025 dates and location for Stitchdown's Boot Camp 3—the world's fair of shoes and boots and leather and more—coming soon.https://www.stitchdownbootcamp.com/

SHOOOOOOOOERADIO! That's right, everyone's favorite drive-time terrestrial radio show about boots and shoes is BACK to tell you exactly how to win over $30k in prizes including a TRIP TO JAPAN in the second annual Stitchdown Patina Thunderdome—just for wearing things on your feet for six months. To get to the answer, our host field questions from totally random callers (all of whom somehow manage to be Patina Thunderdome judges? Amazing.), and gets deep into both the Work and Open categories of the Thunderdome. What's the best overall approach? What about style of boot? Leather? Care? It's all laid out in beautiful, bombastic detail. So listen up and get ready to DOME!!  This episode was sponsored by Division Road, whose new Virginia boot-heaven compound on 45 acres of farmland officially opens August 25thTheme song: The Road by Punk Rock OperaSupport the Shoecast, get full bonus episode access, and join the most interesting shoe-and-boot-loving community on the internet with a Stitchdown Premium membershiphttps://www.stitchdown.com/join-stitchdown-premium/Check out our site!https://www.stitchdown.com/2025 dates and location for Stitchdown's Boot Camp 3—the world's fair of shoes and boots and leather and more—coming soon.https://www.stitchdownbootcamp.com/

You know, when you have a history of publicly claiming to not be a black-boot lover and then you have a podcast co-host who can even more publicly prove that you are a black-boot lover…well, you need to make a Shoecast out of it we suppose.On yet another Shoebag episode, Ticho and Ben tear open the digital sack of reader questions to explore the deeper meaning of black boots, the best process to break in a new pair, how to get the optimum roll situation on your shell cordovan and horsebutt boots, when does footwear truly become art, Ben's obsession with the chonk majesty of Viberg’s 110 last, and a hugely important question: what to do with welted leather footwear that there isn’t a resale market for.And then, naturally, we revel in the wonders of South Carolina style BBQ, homemade popcorn, and peanut butter-covered peanut butter bites.This episode was sponsored by Division Road, whose new Virginia boot-heaven compound on 45 acres of farmland officially opens August 25thTheme song: The Road by Punk Rock OperaSupport the Shoecast, get full bonus episode access, and join the most interesting shoe-and-boot-loving community on the internet with a Stitchdown Premium membershiphttps://www.stitchdown.com/join-stitchdown-premium/Check out our site!https://www.stitchdown.com/2025 dates and location for Stitchdown's Boot Camp 3—the world's fair of shoes and boots and leather and more—coming soon.https://www.stitchdownbootcamp.com/

Yuki Matsuda is an absolute gem of a man. If there's someone more relentlessly excited to design and make and just talk shoes after more than three decades in the biz than Yuketen's founder, I haven't met them (but would definitely like to; DM me plz).It's no stretch to say that Yuketen is eternally in contention for the Most Interesting Footwear Brand Going Award. Over the decades, Yuki has explored a remarkable range of styles (from monkey boots, to mules, to his Goodyear welted "Land Jordan" sneakers), materials (printed Italian suede...that beaver fur!), and constructions. But the core of the brand is its relentlessly distinctive true moccasin construction handsewn boots and shoes, including Yuki's personal all-time favorite Maine Guide DB boot. After literal years of trying, we finally pinned Yuki down to chat about the strokes of luck that got Yuketen started over 30 years ago, his singular design approach and the massive vintage-freak influence that plays into it, and how he seeks out the manufacturing partners who care about shoes the same way he does—with an insane amount of passion that often cuts directly against any sort of traditional business sensibility. Bless them all. Oh also we obviously cover his vintage Datsun and get overly excited about backpacks that used to be made in Montana in the 90s. Yuki!! This episode was sponsored by Division Road, whose new Virginia boot-heaven compound on 45 acres of farmland officially opens August 25th Join the Stitchdown Discord today, unless you hate boots of courseTheme Song: The Road by Punk Rock Opera Support the Shoecast, get full bonus episode access, and join the most interesting shoe-and-boot-loving community on the internet with a Stitchdown Premium membershiphttps://www.stitchdown.com/join-stitchdown-premium/Check out our site!https://www.stitchdown.com/2025 dates and location for Stitchdown's Boot Camp 3—the world's fair of shoes and boots and leather and more—coming soon.https://www.stitchdownbootcamp.com/

Just about one year ago, footwear/menswear super-retailer Division Road packed up the Seattle storefront that has served as its home for the better part of a decade, to move its operations to 45 acres in Scottsville, Virginia—a true rural area about 20 disturbingly scenic minutes outside Charlottesville.The promised plans for the relocation have been big—a true footwear and menswear destination that turns traditional retail completely on its head—but also not totally transparent. So Ticho and I had to find out just what the hell DR head man Jason Pecarich had in store, and headed down to the new DR CVA headquarters and property—aka The Fields—about a month ago.Guess what: it's good. Real good.DR's been chronicling its move and new evolution in a video series that is absolutely worth checking out. But to get an even fresher sense of things, may we also recommend listening to without a doubt the most idyllic Shoecast we've ever recorded.Sitting on a screened-in porch with the birds chirping away on the 45 acre farm, we sat down with Jason to discuss his vision for the new Division Road when it officially opens August 25, 2022; how The Fields are developing and what features will come online when; the ripping brand-driven event schedule he's got planned; the risks a move like this presents; and plenty, plenty more.This episode was sponsored by Grant Stone, one of the best values in Goodyear welted footwear, periodJoin the Stitchdown Discord today, unless you hate boots of courseSupport the Shoecast, get full bonus episode access, and join the most interesting shoe-and-boot-loving community on the internet with a Stitchdown Premium membershiphttps://www.stitchdown.com/join-stitchdown-premium/Check out our site!https://www.stitchdown.com/2025 dates and location for Stitchdown's Boot Camp 3—the world's fair of shoes and boots and leather and more—coming soon.https://www.stitchdownbootcamp.com/

Former Dayton bootmaker Tess Gobeil is the co-founder of Awl Together Leather, a custom leatherwork and shoe repair shop in Vancouver, Canada that just so happens to be on our shortlist of Stitchdown-recommended cobblers.  She's also just an absolute hoot—we're pretty sure this episode sets the Shoecast "hey look at us, we're just sitting here cackling about shoe stuff" record by a country mile. Tess is also a woman—who runs Awl Together with her non-binary business partner Ariss—in a field that's overwhelmingly male-dominated. We get good and deep into how she's successfully navigated that landscape, along with her toughest/most enjoyable/most loathed/craziest/weirdest repair jobs, dogs eating boots, the boot cookies she gives to dogs who eat boots, Tim Horton's coffee, Montreal bagels, and plenty, plenty more. This episode was sponsored by Grant Stone, one of the best values in Goodyear welted footwear, periodJoin the Stitchdown Discord today, unless you hate boots of courseTheme Song: The Road by Punk Rock Opera Support the Shoecast, get full bonus episode access, and join the most interesting shoe-and-boot-loving community on the internet with a Stitchdown Premium membershiphttps://www.stitchdown.com/join-stitchdown-premium/Check out our site!https://www.stitchdown.com/2025 dates and location for Stitchdown's Boot Camp 3—the world's fair of shoes and boots and leather and more—coming soon.https://www.stitchdownbootcamp.com/

Summer shoes! Those are just...boots, right? Apparently not!In a Shoecast episode for which we applied 120 SPF sunscreen (to our shoes), Ticho and Ben first figure out what a summer shoe really means, and then get down into dishing out recommendations on loafers, handsewn moccasins of all kinds, unlined bluchers et al, boot-shoes (obviously), Birkenstocks, and, um...sandals? Yes, sandals—at which point it's revealed just how horrified of his own toes Ticho is. We also break down the lifestyle choice that is socklessness in frightening detail—including tips and tricks on what to do and not to do if you want to keep your feet in once piece. Which is always a good idea, in any season. Summer's just heating up, so give it a listen below!This episode was sponsored by Standard & Strange, where it's always leather jacket season, even in 97 degree heat (but also they sell sick tiger shirts)Theme Music: The Road by Punk Rock OperaSupport the Shoecast, get full bonus episode access, and join the most interesting shoe-and-boot-loving community on the internet with a Stitchdown Premium membershiphttps://www.stitchdown.com/join-stitchdown-premium/Check out our site!https://www.stitchdown.com/2025 dates and location for Stitchdown's Boot Camp 3—the world's fair of shoes and boots and leather and more—coming soon.https://www.stitchdownbootcamp.com/

Rising bootmaker Nathan Florsheim's shoe-famous last name isn't a coincidence—the great great grandson of Florsheim Shoes founder Milton Florsheim decided over a year ago to become the first person in his family to actually make a pair of boots themselves in generations. And man has he gotten good at it quickly. Under the benevolent tutelage our mutual friend Lars from Østmo Boots, Nathan has evolved into one of the most impressive one-person bootmakers in the US—NF Bootmaker—in basically no time flat, hand-making service boots with his trademark rivet using an impressively wide range of leathers. And he's committed to the craft—just before we spoke Nathan actually quit his day job to go full-time on bootmaking. So how did he get started? What challenges did he face at the beginning? What's absolutely scared the hell out of him along the way? Why do his boots have such sexy butts? HOW IN THE WORLD DO PEOPLE EVEN MAKE BOOTS THEMSELVES?? And what's next for NF? Nathan gets WAY in depth (and wonderfully nerdy) about all of it, and is incredibly generous  with the level of specific detail he offers. If you've ever considered making boots or shoes, or are just interested in the process that goes into it, you definitely don't want to miss this one. This episode was sponsored by Standard & Strange, which is now stocking excellent Japanese footwear brand Rolling Dub Trio—which is a very good thingJoin the Stitchdown Discord today, unless you hate boots of courseTheme Song: The Road by Punk Rock OperaSupport the Shoecast, get full bonus episode access, and join the most interesting shoe-and-boot-loving community on the internet with a Stitchdown Premium membershiphttps://www.stitchdown.com/join-stitchdown-premium/Check out our site!https://www.stitchdown.com/2025 dates and location for Stitchdown's Boot Camp 3—the world's fair of shoes and boots and leather and more—coming soon.https://www.stitchdownbootcamp.com/